The most Volvo-y car ever, the all-new V90

After all of the XC70 Cross Countries and V60s, we have a Volvo wagon that fits the recipe. Four doors, box shape, big cargo area. It’s not an LS swapped 245GL, but it’s close.

Meet the new V90, the newest, biggest, flagship of the Volvo lineup. It’s taken a lot of design cues from the new XC90, but it’s a wagon. It’s the boxy brick with the build quality of a Nokia 3310. It’s a Volvo by heritage, and it’s a Volvo by logic.

Let’s take a look at the new Volvo wagon. (I love being able to say this!)

Looking at the exterior, it looks awesome. It isn’t a crossover with high rooflines, it’s a wagon. It’s low to the ground, and it’s muscular. Volvo says their Mjölnir-designed headlights and the new “Iron Mark” logo mark the new face of the 9XX-series cars from Volvo, but really it’s a display of masculinity. This isn’t a feminine car. This exudes the strength of the male form, and it’s just been put on a car. The fenders flare out gently, and every line and curve seamlessly folds into a wagon. Not a crossover, or an SUV. A wagon!

Continuing around to the rear, hmm. Did Volvo just get 1st gen Focus tail lights, and make them skinnier? I’m not a fan of the top placement, but I guess it’s for safety reasons. I do like the big VOLVO on the back, and everything seems to be placed horizontally in a pleasing manner. Lines separate everything, and it looks really good. I wouldn’t mind following a V90, unless I can’t keep up, or if there’s a moose in front.

Wait, I can’t keep up with a Volvo wagon? Most likely not, as there is a choice of 5 engines and only one transmission in the V90. There’s a choice of gas or diesel, but I doubt the diesel is coming to the U.S. market sadly. There is a T5, T6 AWD, and a T8 AWD for the gas, and a D4 and a D5 for the diesel. The gas engines are all 2 liter 4 cylinder engines, with the difference being forced induction and an electric drive system called Drive-E.

The T5 is a single turbo, FWD model, with 254 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque. That serves as the base engine. The T6 and T8 have dual charged engines. A turbo AND a supercharger, which boosts the power to 320 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque, which is where the T6 stops, and the T8 adds an electric motor at the rear end that puts out 87HP, so the total power for the is 407HP. That’s a lot.

The diesel offerings are the D4 and the D5 AWD. Both are also 2 liter 4 cylinders, with different forced induction technologies. The D4 has 190 HP and the D5 has 235 HP, but in a diesel, it’s not the power, it’s the torque. The D4 has 295 lb-ft, and the D5 has 354 lb-ft. That’s a lot of torque from a 2 liter four.

Let’s move inside. Wow, it looks nice in here. The first thing that pops out is the Volvo-ness of the interior, but it’s very luxury-oriented in here. The first thing that pops out to me besides the overall organized luxury feel is the massive center screen in it. It’s huge. It seems like a Tesla-derived layout in terms of the large center display, as it’s in the similar places to a Tesla. HVAC on bottom, navigation in the middle.It’s still big though. The seats look comfortable, like that one La-Z-Boy recliner from the 80s that has molded to your body.

Something I also noticed is the door speakers are 3-way systems. Someone at Volvo knows their audio. I applaud you sir, as you know that the midrange and tweeters are best separated, and the woofer isn’t as locatable by ear. I also noticed a center channel, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

The rear seats do gymnastics,(a la Honda Fit “Magic Seat”), there's a ski hatch door in the middle behind the armrest with cupholders, and the trunk area is also huge. It’s a wagon after all.

But isn’t that what you expect from a Volvo wagon? A big, dependable, brick of a thing that happens to be indestructible? I guess so. It’s the old adage, just morphed into a new version. 245GLT part 2, they called it the V90. Good job Volvo, on the first wagon that has been good since the 850.

The V90 is the best Volvo wagon so far besides the 240 series models, and this is just looking at pictures and videos. I hope to see the real thing soon.

Explore Website

Settings

About rCars

We're a bunch of car enthusiasts that wanted to make something better for auto news and opinions. From our writers to our founders, we're all just auto junkies. Our goal is to continually improve, and deliver content that our community enjoys.

Contact

We're always looking for feedback. Shoot us an email and tell us what you like, don't like, or want to see on this site. We read every email.
We’re also always looking for volunteers so if you or someone you know is interested in helping out with writing, web developing, social media, or anything else you think might help, shoot us a resume or work sample.